


Fragile

by taciturnTentacles



Series: Slaverystuck [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Tavros is a tropper, horn mutilation, slaverystuck au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-11
Packaged: 2017-12-11 14:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/799840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taciturnTentacles/pseuds/taciturnTentacles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been three sweeps since Tavros was taken and now its finally time for Gamzee to get him back.<br/>OR<br/>In which a highblood goes to rescue his flush crush from slavery, runs into his pitch crush, deals with several emotional ordeals, and reaches the conclusion that maybe things will work out.</p><p> </p><p>AU where low bloods that are sold into slavery or have a cullable disability are auctioned off to the highest bidder. No SGRUB AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The auction yard was packed with trolls. The lowest blood color that I could see was barely above teal. Not that this was surprising, really it was something to be expected at these sort of events. Pushing lower blue bloods out of my way I meandered towards the section set aside for highbloods.

"Heeeeeeeey Gamzee!" a cool metal hand gripped my shoulder and turned me around. Vriska looked like a fox in a chicken coop. Her worn gray coat had been exchanged for a pirate captains coat in her deep cerulean and a decorative sword hung at her hip. A smirk twisted her features as she squeezed my shoulder.

I frowned and shrugged out of her grasp. "Hey spidersis." I regarded the dagger smile on her face with vague distaste. 

"Soooooooo mister high8lood! What 8rings you here today????????" I could fucking here those eight perfect question marks at the end of her sentence. Asking me that shit like she had any doubts as to what I was up and mother fucking doing.

I scowled bitterly at her. "You know DAMN MOTHERFUCKING WELL why I'm here." As I raised my voice the crowd around us flinched away and pretended to not be listening in on us.

"Hahahaha I guess we're here for the same reason." her laughter was humorless and her words held a sharp edge of hostility.

' _THIS MOTHERFUCKING PEASANT BLOODED BITCH HAD DARED TO COME FOR HIM._ '   
' _cull her gamzee._ '   
' _I SAID MOTHERFUCKING CULL HER!_ '

In a quick motion I grabbed the collar of her coat and yanked her up off the ground till our eyes were at the same level. She yelped and struggled against my grip, scratching and kicking until I shook her hard. Her claws still dug painfully into my wrists but I hardly noticed. I brought her close enough that our breathes mingled and our noses nearly touched.

"you stay the fuck away from him. YOU MOTHERFUCKING STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM SPIDERBITCH. you hear me. DO YOU MOTHERFUCKING HEAR ME?!" I shook her so that I heard her teeth clack before I tossed her away. The satisfaction I felt when I heard the sound of her bony little ass hitting the ground brought a malicious smiled to my lips.

She snarled at me showing off her big fangs while she rose from the ground, hand tensing as she prepared to take out her octet. Something in her changed though and her sneer shifted to a shark grin.

"We'll just have to see who 8ets the highest won't we Makara????????"

With that she turned and swaggered off into the crowd, many of the trolls scrambled to get out of her way, leaving a clear trail behind her. I looked down at my hand to see small beads of purple welling up from underneath my skin. ' _Fucking bitch._ ' I thought with a smirk.

After that I got to the purple blooded section without incident. The bidding had already started on the first troll, a strong green blood. The blue blood that had bought him grinned maliciously when she went up to claim her new possession, leading him away like he was prized cattle. It was fucking sickening. 

A couple times I saw Vriska go up and drag off some poor soul. It was easy to see she preferred those that fought back and struggled. If only so she could could crush them with her mind, make them bend to her will completely and totally. She was so fucking loathsome.

By the time he was brought up most of the slaves had been sold. All that remained was cull-bait, target practice for those that could afford it. I was spacing out, thinking of Karkat and wondering if he was ok with scarfbro, but the mention of his name had my attention snapping back to reality.

"Our next item for sale is a brown blood by the name of Tavros Nitram-" 

I didn't hear the rest. 

They had led him on to the stage.

The world fell silent. 

Time froze. 

His once well muscled upper body was no more than skin and bones. His ribs jutted out on his painfully skinny frame. His wrists were so small that shackles that held him barley hung on. But the worst part, the part that cause my vision the blur with rage and my hands to shake and the blood to rush loudly in my ears were his horns. His fucking horns. They had cut them off. All that remained were two pitiful stumps.

I wanted to kill something. Anything. I wanted to hunt down the person that had done this and snap their horns off and leave them to bleed. But I didn't. I held myself still. I didn't breathe. 

' _He needs me here. My best tavbro needs me here, not out killing_ '

The biding began with Vriska calling out some outrageously high number that could have easily bought her two or three better slaves. I immediately moved to double it. I could feel Vriskas glare as she added another eighty caegars to the price. I added five hundred. She added eight.

I could taste victory. The number was so high now and I knew she couldn't afford any more on her shitty blue blood salary. A ruthless smile quirked my lips and I looked back into the crowd of peasant bloods and met her gaze.

"Add 50 to that brother." I watched her glare at me with rage and hate. I relished the hot burning pleasure I felt at beating her.

"Going once, going twice, sold!" 

I turned back towards the stage with a small smug grin still on my face. However as soon as I looked at the stage that smug grin turned bitter and died. 

I felt numb as I moved through the crowd and up to him. 

Cold as I led him off the stage by a leather lead. 

Dead as I looked into his vacant eyes once we reached our shuttle.


	2. Chapter 2

I listened to the sounds of the engines of the automated shuttle purr to life, taking us up towards the ship that rested somewhere in this rocks orbit. The silence between us was thick and heavy, weighing on me. Tav's eyes looked blankly at the floor and I wanted quite suddenly to cry. To rage at the world. Instead I crushed the heels of my palms to my eye sockets and rubbed them, smearing my face paint more than it already had been. I hadn't reapplied it in at least 2 days.

I lowered my hands and examined my Tavbro. Up close he looked even worse, dark bruises underneath his eyes and thick mats in his mohawk. I slowly reached out and gingerly undid the hateful collar on his throat. It fell to the ground with a soft thunk. I picked it and the lead up then tossed them both into the trash incinerator. I looked back to Tavros, he hadn't moved.

I returned to him and grasped one of the metal cuffs in my hand. I undid one lock and then the next, taking the cuffs and tossing them aside. Then I sat back and just watched him.

"Tavros." my voice felt out of place in the all encompassing silence, but it got him to move. Slowly, Oh god so slowly, he raised his head and looked at me, a little spark of recognition going off in his eyes.

"Gamzee.." his voice was rough and cracked in the middle of my name but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the most beautiful motherfucking noise I've ever heard.

I fell forward onto my knees and pulled him into a hug, burying my face in his filthy hair. "Oh my miracle, my little miracle, I've motherfucking missed you Tavbro oh god I've missed you." I murmured to him while the tears I'd been holding back for so long finally spilled over.

"I've, uh, missed you too Gamzee." he carefully wrapped his thin arms around me and stroked my back as I trembled from suppressed sobs. "It's um, ok now. You're here, and I'm here, and every thing is, uhm, ok now." I laughed through my tears at his reassurances. They sounded as though they were for him as much as me.

"Yeah Tavbro everythings gonna work out just motherfuckin fine." I pulled back from our embrace to dry the periwinkle tears on my face. "Let's go get you cleaned up ok motherfucker? Our wicked Fishsis made sure that this bitchin shuttle had everything we might need."

I stood and pulled Tav to his feet, smiling as he gave me a nod. We walked together to the ablution trap. I showed him where everything was and how to work the knobs on the trap to get the perfect water temperature before I closed the door with a soft click. I slumped against the cool surface and let my shell shocked emotions wash over me. I pushed myself up and made my way over to one of the couches with heavy steps then I unceremoniously collapsed onto the plush surface. I closed my eyes and forced myself to drift in blackness until the sound of the door roused me.

I looked up to see Tavros standing there, wearing the same Taurus shirt he used to. He had even managed to brush out the worst of the knots in his mohawk so he could sweep it back like he had as a kid. If one could ignore the bags under his eyes and his obvious emaciation he would almost look normal. Except for his horns.

Except for his FUCKING horns.

"Hey Tavbro." I watched as he fidgeted with the edge of his shirt, staring at the floor. "Come sit down." I motioned to the couch that was across from me as I sat up.

My eyes followed him as he picked his way across the soft floor and carefully settled onto the couch. The ridged set of his shoulders spoke his nervousness louder and more clearly than he ever could. I stood up from my couch and went to the tiny thermal hull. As nice as the pod was there wasn't much to eat that wasn't shitty sea dweller food but shoved in the back there was a small container of grubloaf that still looked edible. I pulled it out and shoved it in the nutrient reheater. Once the timer went off I hunted down a fork then brought the items to Tav.

"Here bro you need to eat." he looked up at me tiredly but accepted the grubloaf when I gave it to him.

"Thanks.."

I stood and watched him eat like he had been starved. Fuck, he probably had been. I turned away and walked to the ablution block. I rifled through the cabinets until I found what I was looking for. Then I squared my shoulders and grimly left the small block.

I came out just as Tav had finished eating. He looked up from setting the plastic dishes on the floor with a smile that quickly changed to a look of horror one he saw what was in my hands.

"Gamzee no, I'm, I'm, uh, not ready, for that, in fact, I don't, really see why, this would be necessary at all." he pleaded with me as I slowly advanced, cowering against the couch.

"It has to be done Tav."

I stood over him, the horn injury care kit held firmly in my hand. Tavros kept glancing from me to the kit then back, terror plain on his thin face.

"Please.." I frowned at him and felt a twinge in my heart.

"If you want your horns to grow back it has to be done. And the sooner the better."

He looked at me like he was about to burst into tears and then he slowly nodded.

"Yeah ok..."

I slowly sank down onto the couch beside him. Setting the kit on my lap, I opened it to examine the contents within. Several shiny bottles smiled up at me from the majority of the box. All along the right side though was one large file, the dark of the metal not even reflecting the light.

I pulled out the first bottle. It was a pleasant mint green but once I opened it the liquid inside gave off a repugnant scent. I held my breath and poured some of it onto a clean cloth.

"Scoot closer Tav, so I can get at your horns."

Mutely, Tavros complied. I began to rub down the horn closest to me, watching while Tavros winced with each touch. After a few moments however, the mild anesthetic in the disinfecting solution kicked in and he stopped cringing. As soon as that happened I moved on to the next step. I pulled the file out of the case and then carefully set it on Tav's horn.

I think the first file was probably the easiest.

I yanked the file against Tav's horn hard, hoping to speed the process, because no matter how well the anesthetic seemed to work when it was little touches that shit would never dull the pain of having your horn filled away.

The cry of surprised pain my action called forth from Tav's mouth caused my stomach to flip in the most nauseating way.

I tried to hold him still as he flailed his arms and kicked out, screaming for me to stop. The kicks from Tav's metal legs hurt the worst and I was pretty sure they were going to leave bruises. I deserved that though. I deserved that a million motherfuckin times over. Tav's struggles weakened until I was able to get him pinned beneath me, his feeble limbs held tight.

Crooning out reassurances I continued to file away the layers of dead and damaged horn until instead of a splintery brown and orange mess at the blunt end of his horn I had a smooth surface. The redish, orange, and yellow layers interwoven with brown veins clearly visible. Immediately I reached back into the kit and pulled out another bottle that contained healing salve and a horn cap. I quickly applied the salve then fit the cap over the sensitive stump snugly.

Below me Tav shook violently. Tears an mucus coated his face and shaky sobs wracked his pathetic frame. I bit my lip as I carefully turned him over and when I started on his other horn, whispering apologies, he couldn't even scream. He had already cried himself hoarse. The quiet breathy sobs and crys that came from him broke me. Shattered apart my being and sent me deep into self loathing. But I couldn't stop. No matter how much I wanted to I couldn't stop because he needed this. He needed this and I had to do it for him even if right now all he wanted was for me to stop.

When I finished both Tavros and I were exhausted. I picked him up gently and carried him to the respite block still murmuring apologies. Setting him next to one of the larger recuperacoons I carefully removed his shirt and set it to the side. I left his shorts on, even though they would get filthy in the slime, because I didn't know what had been done to him in the past 3 sweeps. Wearily, I picked him up and set him in the slime, muttering something about getting some rest. I dragged myself to the 'cupe across from his and climbed in, not even bothering to undress.


	3. Chapter 3

It was the beeping of the ships alert system that woke me. Groggily I clambered out of the coon and into the sopor ablution chamber, rinsing the slime out of my hair and off my skin. I simply tossed my clothes in the incinerator, there was no way I could save them. I wrapped a towel around myself as I stumbled over to the control pad. It had only been about an hour since we had gone to sleep but the shuttle was already nearing the main ship. We had made good time.

I got dressed before I went to wake Tavros, he needed as much sleep as he could get. When i peeked in the only thing that showed above the lip of the 'cupe was Tav's mussed hair. I watched him sleep for a little bit. Watched as his breath stirred the surface of the slime with each exhale. He looked so mother fucking peaceful. Like a little wriggler wrapped in their lusus warm embrace.

I reached down and shook his shoulder reluctantly.

"Tav. C'mon Tav. It's time to get up." I prodded him while he slowly stirred into wakefulness. He blinked sleep deprived eyes at me then reluctantly climbed out of the 'cupe and walked to the ablution chamber. 

Once I heard the water running I went to the small nutrition preparation block and filled two bowls with grub flakes. I set the bowls across from eachother then slid into a seat and began to eat. We had about 30 minutes until we would dock with the other ship.

The water shut off and Tav emerged, damp hair shoved back and away from his eyes. He walked over and sat in to chair across from me. He slowly picked up his spoon and began to stir his slightly soggy cereal. He played with his food for several minutes before either of us spoke.

"How long till we reach them?" Tav spoke quietly while looking down at his now milk-logged flakes.

" 'Bout a half hour." he gave a small nod as silence over took us again.

"... I've missed you Tavbro. It's been too motherfucking long." He bit his lip and gave a sharp nod before finally lifting a bite of food to his mouth.

Tavros ate in silence. His movements were slow, like his limbs weighed more than they should. 

".... What happened to you Tavbro?" 

Tavros kept eating showing no signs that he had heard me. Honestly I think my sweet Tavbro had been expecting my question, waiting with baited breath for me to ask. His smooth soulless movements spoke of that.

"You uh, mean aside from the obvious?"

Was he.... _**Joking?!**_

I couldn't motherfucking believe that after all this he could joke. I think my surprise must have shown pretty clearly on my face because Tavros just kinda looked at me sheepishly before he looked down and continued playing with his breakfast.

"Anyway" he spoke quietly "I suppose they did lots of things. The marauders- you know, it was marauders that took me, right?" I shook my head, we hadn't been able to find out much after he disappeared. "Oh uh, ok. Well it was, um, marauders, slavers, that got me. I wasn't with them long. They, uh, sold me, to a teal blood that trained house-hold slaves. He was uh nice I guess. As far as owners went. I was with him for about a sweep, I think. But, uh, he eventually sold me, to uh, a nice blue blood. She um, got pretty, uh, easily frustrated with me. Sometimes she would, um, get violent. But, uh, she wasn't, like, strong, uh, like um Equius strong, so, it wasn't so bad.. She, um, got sick of me, I guess, after she got a new, uh, slave. So, she, uh, sold me, to a friend of hers." Tavros was shaking "S-she was, uh, a cerulean blood. She, um, was the one, uh, was the one, that, um" Tavros gestures to his stumps. 

"I was, uh, only with her for, half a sweep so it wasn't, uh, so bad." he stuttered out once he saw the cold rage on my face. I shoved myself up from the table. My mouth felt dry as motherfucking desert sand. I made my way around the table with excruciating carefulness, each movement mercilessly controlled, until I stood next to him.

"G-Gamzee..?"

I fell to my knees at the fragile fear in his voice. I reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace, the tears I hadn't known Were in my eyes spilling over as I clung to him. He hugged me back, tentatively, and asked if I was ok. It was a stupid question though. We both knew that. How could I possibly be ok? How could either of us be motherfuckin ok? I clutched him close to my chest, holding him tightly while I choked out the occasional sob and wished double death on the universe.

"Never again Tavbro" I whispered "I'll keep you motherfucking safe."

He just nodded into my shoulder and let me continue to hold him, breathing in his scent and feeling his reassuring warmth. We stayed on the floor like that until our ship docked, and I have to say, when I got off that transport holding Tavs hand, watching him greet our old friends and smile, I felt like things might work out alright.


End file.
